Free Web NovelChapter 279: Chapter 31: Garuda
Overthinking was pointless. For the solitary figure living in the Kunlun Secret Realm, agonizing over whether it was a beast or a person served no purpose.
The sudden arrival of outsiders had shattered the long-standing peace of its solitary home, throwing it into a state of inner turmoil. But it was also keenly aware, ’Perhaps they are the true masters of this place, and I am merely a tenant.’
’Whether it’s the survivors of the Immortal Realm or the beings from beyond the Black Hole, what they want is simply the resources of the Kunlun Secret Realm—or perhaps, the passage between the realms itself.’
As it lingered by its birthplace—the place it knew best and subconsciously cherished most—it felt its mind gradually break free from the dark memories of two different origins. A glint of wise Spiritual Light flickered in its golden pupils, and its expression was no longer one of confusion. ’Conflicts within a race, whether among humans or beasts, are common. It doesn’t matter which side I’m on. What matters is whether I have value.’ fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
The memories and wisdom inherited through its bloodline gave the figure basic reasoning and logical skills, even without a teacher. This was the way of Demon Beasts, a crucial method for maintaining consensus within a race.
Even though its two sets of memories and inheritances often clashed, the one point of agreement was the need to increase its own power. ’The value of a life is derived from its power. As long as I can ensure my own strength, my existence will have value.’
With this thought, the figure leaned against the enormous cyan Treasure Pearl. A gentle power flowed ceaselessly from its spine into its body, which it easily converted for its own use.
The figure knew well that it was the very Essence Qi of this Pure Cyan Glazed Treasure Pearl, given form through Metamorphosis. The Treasure Pearl was damaged precisely because its own birth had consumed a vast amount of that Essence Qi.
The Treasure Pearl’s former master, the Demon God who had become this colossal Bird Mountain, had many names within the figure’s inherited memories. But its most famous name was the Great Roc Golden-winged Bird.
Also known as ’Garuda’.
Garuda. This was the name it had chosen for itself.
From the moment of its birth, Garuda had survived its first three years without food, sustained only by the Treasure Pearl it rested against.
From birth, Garuda could sense the thin, omnipresent Spiritual Qi in the air. By its first year, in its nascent understanding, it could already manipulate the qi for play, shaping it into various forms. fгeewebnovёl.com
By the age of three, instinct guided it to use Spiritual Qi to fly. It felt as if the very winds of the world were aiding it, and from that day on, it possessed the freedom to move as it pleased.
At the age of eight, with the aid of the pure cyan Treasure Pearl, it broke through a barrier. Its heart, steeped in the Treasure Pearl’s Spiritual Qi, gradually transformed into the same pure cyan as the pearl itself.
To this day, aided by the Treasure Pearl’s power and the ever-denser Spiritual Qi of the world around it, Garuda’s entire frame had transformed into golden bone, and its strength had grown to an unimaginable degree. In recent years, it had even naturally learned to take human form, allowing it to pick and eat the wild peaches by the great lake known as the Jade Pool to accelerate its Cultivation.
Feeling the power and Talent that even the voices from beyond the Black Hole could not help but praise, Garuda slowly rose to its feet. It had sorted through its thoughts and formulated a plan. ’I can’t fully trust what the Black Hole says. According to them, the Immortal Gods of the Immortal Realm and their descendants are all cruel, greedy monsters that will devour anything—it’s too exaggerated, too fake. They sound just like the Taotie. It’s an obvious lie.’
’Besides, according to my inherited memories, those Spirit Monster Beasts are just as vicious, and the voices from beyond the Black Hole are no exception. We are all living things; there’s no fundamental difference between us.’
’I will make use of the Black Hole’s power, but I also need to find an opportunity to contact those survivors. I need to see what their attitude toward me is and whether they know my true origins.’
With that, Garuda made its determination. ’There isn’t much time. My own Awakening came too late... This is what I’ll do.’
’I’ll find a chance to make contact with the descendants of the Immortal Gods.’
Meanwhile, deep within the dilapidated palace, at the site of the sealed, dark cavern.
Within the Black Hole beneath the Seal, a clamor of voices faintly echoed—a turbulent fluctuation of intersecting Thoughts.
’Garuda doesn’t fully trust us. To this day, it hasn’t made a single attempt to open the Seal. Even when it summons the power of our realm, it only calls upon a few weak subordinate Races, never trying to summon any being of even moderate strength.’
’That’s to be expected. Neither a naturally born Divine Bird nor a human-turned-Demon God is easy to deal with. The memories of their power are still fresh in our bloodlines. We cannot afford to underestimate either of them.’
’What if Garuda refuses to side with us in the end? It’s just as wary of us as it is of humans.’
’If the Divine Bird is willing to join us, we will add another source to our race’s Holy Blood. But if it is unwilling, that would be a pity... After all, we only want *it*. And the countless other bloodlines hidden within this Kunlun Secret Realm.’
「Earth, near the Kunlun Mountain Range.」
Night had fallen. The moonlight was swallowed by ever-thickening clouds, and in the silent sky, only heavy snow drifted down. A piercingly cold wind swept across the rolling pastures of the plateau.
On the Northwest Plateau, at a nomadic yak ranch, the lights in a tent went out into the snowy night. A gray-haired old man had just lulled his young grandson to sleep, but he felt no hint of drowsiness himself. He stepped out of the tent and stood smoking in silence, his eyes fixed on the pasture, which had been hastily reinforced against the snow and cold.
